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Three Cal Players on Athlon’s 2014 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team

BERKELEY – Three Cal players – Chris Harper (Jr., WR), Jalen Jefferson (Jr., LB) and Khalfani Muhammad (So., KR) – were named Tuesday to Athlon’s 2014 Preseason All-Pac-12 team raising the total of Cal’s players honored on 2014 preseason All-Pac-12 teams to six. Harper and Jefferson were both previously named to Phil Steele’s preseason all-conference squad along with Jordan Rigsbee (Jr., OL), Brennan Scarlett (Jr., DE) and Bryce Treggs (Jr., WR), while Muhammad was honored for the first time.

Harper was a third-team selection of Athlon, while Jefferson and Muhammad were both fourth-team picks.

Harper has been Cal’s most productive receiver over the last two seasons and is the team’s active career leader in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,396), receiving touchdowns (7), total touchdowns (8) and points (48).

Jefferson has played in 19 games and made 18 starts over the last two campaigns to co-lead all active Cal defensive players in the latter category, compiling career totals of 111 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss (-30 yards) and 4.5 sacks (-23 yards).

Muhammad set school records of 46 kick returns and 1,006 kick return yards during a strong 2013 true freshman season when he also led Cal with 445 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 6.0 yards per rush (best among regulars) and 1,638 all-purpose yards.

Cal will open the 2014 season at Northwestern on Aug. 30. The game is part of the Big Ten Conference television package. The kickoff time and television coverage is expected to be announced soon.

The Bears will host the first of six home games at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium against Sacramento State on Sept. 6. Kickoff is at Noon PT on the Pac-12 Networks. Cal will also play Pac-12 opponents Colorado (Sept. 27), Washington (Oct. 11), UCLA (Oct. 18) and Stanford (Nov. 22) in Berkeley before concluding the 2014 regular season by hosting a non-conference game against BYU on Nov. 29.

Cal will also play a home contest against Oregon in the first-ever collegiate football game at Levi’s® Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. The game will be televised by FOX Sports 1 with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. PT.

The final road game of the regular season will pit Cal against USC on ESPN at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 13, starting at 6 p.m. PT. Cal also has road Pac-12 contests at Arizona (Sept. 20), Washington State (Oct. 4) and Oregon State (Nov. 1).

Times and television networks for all games other than Northwestern, Sacramento State, Oregon and USC are scheduled to be announced either six of 12 days in advance of each contest. Every Cal football game will be televised this season.

ATHLON 2014 PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM – CAL PLAYER BIOS6 – Chris Harper, WR, 5-11, 170, Jr., 2L (Northridge, CA/Crespi HS)Harper has been Cal’s most productive receiver over the last two seasons and is the team’s active career leader in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,396), receiving touchdowns (7), total touchdowns (8) and points (48), while ranking second in all-purpose yards (1,429) over 23 games played and 14 starts. Harper was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for the entire season as a 2013 sophomore when he led Cal in receiving yards (852) and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (5) while also being second on the club in receptions (70) and tied for second in scoring (30) with all of the numbers career highs. His receptions also ranked seventh on Cal’s all-time single-season list. Harper and fellow wide receivers Bryce Treggs and Kenny Lawler are expected to be among the nation’s best in 2014.

7 – Jalen Jefferson, LB, 6-2, 220, Jr., 2L (Oxnard, CA/Ventura St. Bonaventure HS)Jefferson is slated to begin the 2014 season as Cal’s starter at one outside linebacker position after playing in 19 games and making 18 starts over the last two campaigns to co-lead all active Cal players on the defensive side of the ball in the latter category. Jefferson has compiled career totals of 111 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss (-30 yards), 4.5 sacks (-23 yards), one interception, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He ranks first among Cal’s active career leaders in sacks, tied for first in tackles for loss and second in tackles. He was third on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and tied for third with 64 tackles as a 2013 sophomore.

29 – Khalfani Muhammad, RB/KR, 5-7, 170, So., 1L (Los Angeles, CA/Notre Dame HS)Muhammad is a national honors candidate after a strong true freshman season in 2013 when he led Cal with 445 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 6.0 yards per rush (best among regulars) and 1,638 all-purpose yards, as well as school records of 46 kick returns and 1,006 kick return yards. Muhammad earned 2013 third-team Freshman All-American honors by Athlon and was a third-team All-Pac-12 pick of College Sports Madness as a kick returner for his efforts. He proved he is a home run threat with both Cal’s longest run (73 yards for a touchdown at Washington) and kick return (52 yards vs. Oregon State) of the season, as well as a 62-yard reception against Portland State and a 55-yard TD run at Colorado. Muhammad was limited during 2014 spring practices while participating for the Golden Bears’ track and field team and heads into the 2014 campaign listed at No. 2 on the team’s running back depth chart behind Daniel Lasco.